Anti-Defamation League Politics

INTRODUCTION

The Anti-Defamation League has inserted itself into American politics in variety of ways over the decades primarily in the guise of a non-partisan, civil rights organization. Currently it has been allowed to have great influence nationally on bullying, diversity, equity and inclusivity issues in K-12 education systems in particular. This note does not analyze ADL in depth but only critiques specific sections of the NPFH Handbook and provides excerpts from 106 linked articles about ADL's politics and activities. These materials should give pause to organizations or institutions, especially public ones, that partner with ADL in any enterprise. Here is a brief sampling of facts illustrated by these articles.

ADL does not represent even the Jewish community as a whole and is regarded with distaste by a large segment of it. That disaffection increased in 2015 when the directorship passed from Abe Foxman to hyper-partisan, radically left Jonathan Greenblatt. ADL has long engaged in smear attacks and hate-mongering against organizations and politicians who push for enforcement of immigration laws and the reduced quotas for legal immigration as long recommended by various national commissions. It continues to do so. ADL opposes the letter and spirit of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the California Constitution; it endorsed the pro-racial preferences Proposition 16 in California in November 2020 while that was opposed by 57% of Californians. In a recent Supreme Court case, ADL submitted an amicus brief supporting Harvard’s discrimination against Asian applicants for admission. All of these positions and ADL's vicious use of smear tactics surely account for some of the antisemitism in the US. ADL has also recently teamed up with the pro-Proposition 16, anti-1964 Civil Rights Act administration of San Diego State University to deal with putative increases in antisemitism at SDSU.